ON BEDDING PLANTS. 



177 



temperature, where they will make an abundance of cuttings. 

 These should be placed in bottom-heat, and kept close until 

 rooted; they may then be potted on and kept growing freely 

 until bedding-out time. As the plants are rather tender, it is not 

 advisable to put them put until a continuance of warm 

 weather is tolerably assured. Plants intended for pyramids 

 should be struck from cuttings in August, and kept growing 

 on during the winter, training them to a single stem, until 

 the desired height is reached. If the points are then pinched 

 out, the side branches will soon develop and form a head. If 

 named varieties are not required, seed may be sown in early 

 spring, and the seedlings grown on for planting out into good 

 dry soil in June ; these will flower the same year as sown. 

 Miss Nightingale, although an old variety, is still one of the 

 best for bedding; it is of dwarf, floriferous habit, and bears dark 

 lilac flowers. President Garfield has bright mauve flowers. White 

 Lady has whitish-lilac flowers, the trusses of which are very large. 



Iresine.— To this genus belong two or three plants which are 

 indispensable for summer bedding, on account of their richly- 

 coloured foliage. Propagation is effected by means of cuttings 

 placed in a close propagating-frame 

 in August and ' September; when 

 rooted, they should be taken out 

 of the frame, kept rather dry, and 

 wintered in a greenhouse tempera- 

 ture. About February they should 

 be potted up singly and introduced 

 to more heat and moisture, and at 

 the same time their tops should be 

 pinched out ; this will cause them 

 to break back and form an abund- 

 ance of good strong cuttings, which, 

 if placed in' a close case, will soon 

 emit roots ; these may be potted 

 up, kept in a warm place until 

 well established, and then gradually 

 hardened off. Like Heliotropes, 

 Iresines are rather tender, and ought 

 not to be planted out until the season 

 is well advanced. To bring their 



foliage to perfection a warm ■ season, with an abundance of 

 sunshine, is necessary. Iresine Herbstii has splendid foliage-; 

 the upper surface is of a dark greenish colour, with the mid-rib 

 and principal veins of a rich carmine hue ; the under surface is 

 deep crimson. The stem, which grows to a height of i2in. 

 or i8in., is also bright carmine. The variety aureo-reticulata 

 (Fig. 86) has the stem, leaf-stalks, and principal veins of a deep 

 red colour, whilst the surface of the leaves is green, blotched 



Fig. 86. — Iresine Herbstii 

 aureo-reticulata. 



